


The Life and Adventures of Frank and Alice

by KnitKnitRead



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-06-24 22:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19733086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnitKnitRead/pseuds/KnitKnitRead
Summary: This work will mostly be drabbles in no particular order about the lives of Frank and Alice Longbottom.





	1. Puzzle Pieces

**Author's Note:**

> There will be no set update schedule. 
> 
> This chapter was written for the Fairest of the Rare Weekly Drabble Prompt. My prompt was "puzzle solving".

April 1976

How did he get here? How had his life turned into this way? Sitting here, in his bedroom, feeling utter shame having wanked again after dueling with his mentee, Alice Oakes, earlier that day. He was a twenty-four year old Auror. He should have better control over himself than this.

She was just so fierce. Intelligent. She moved determinedly and elegantly. She could make anyone laugh. Witty. Always, had her knitting, even at the weekly drink night. And she was, his student in the Auror program. 

_Your student, Frank. Student. Get it together. She's your student for the next two years and 4 months. She isn't interested anyway. She's just your friendly student._

_But the way her mouth quirks when she's reading. That golden, short hair. Her smile, always so bright._

_Wait, no…she saves that one smile for me. The bright one. And has she been touching me more? No. I'm just imagining things. Wishful thinking._

Frank groaned and rolled over in his bed, “Merlin, help me but this can't keep happening.”

Pushing up off his bed, Frank got dressed and headed to the Leaky for Saturday night drinks. 

****  
September 1976

He really hadn't expected the crush to taper off. The weekly group drinks weren't helping. Always sitting close. Always brushing his arm, hand, thigh. 

_Oh Merlin, she brushed my thigh. Pull it together, Frank. You are not 16 years old anymore. You do not need to internally melt down over a woman sitting too close._

_So many jokes. So many looks. But she couldn't feel the same. No. She's just being friendly. Friendly student for two more years. Probably shouldn't even be drinking with your students._

As everyone left for the night, Alice stayed back a bit.

“See you Monday, Longbottom,” she said with a quick peck on the cheek and a wink as she walked out into the night.

“Circe help me,” Frank groaned as the puzzle clicked into place, “she feels the same.”


	2. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum

September 1, 1982

Alice sat in her garden playing with her son, his blonde hair and face so much like her own. She beamed as he walked around and pet the unwarded plants before running back to her, squealing delight. 

"Bubbles! Bubbles!" Neville demanded playfully while clapping his hands. 

"You want Mommy to blow bubbles?"

The boy simply tried to jump but fell over in his excitement.

"Hmmm, I might have some more gum… let me see," Alice said making an exaggerated show of checking her pockets. She didn't need to, she always made sure to keep a stick of Drooble's on her. Nothing made Neville more excited than Drooble's bubbles that he could chase around the garden.

They spent the afternoon playing and chasing the bubbles. It had truly been a perfect day. 

_________

Burning.

_Think of something happy. Think of why you need to be here._

Stabbing. 

_Dying would be better. How long have I been here?_

Tearing. 

_Neville. Bubbles. Love. Garden. Perfect day._

_________

25 December, 1982

Alice and Frank sat in the Janus Thickey Ward of St Mungo's Hospital when the door opened and admitted a witch with a vulture hat, a wizard with a handlebar mustache, and a shy toddler who greatly resembled Alice.

Neither patient showed any outward signs of recognition.

_Bubbles. Garden. Happy. Bubbles. Garden. Happy._

It wasn't until Augusta, Archibald, and Neville were leaving that either patient really moved.

"Tell your parents goodbye, Neville," said Augusta in a crisp, guarded voice. She refused to cry in this place. She was Augusta Longbottom and she would not be seen as weak after this first visit. 

Neville walked over to his parents tentatively, unsure of how to proceed. Gran said these were Mommy and Daddy but they looked different. Their hair was white. Mommy had hair like a flowers and Daddy's was much darker. But he hadn't seen Mommy and Daddy in a long time. Maybe he didn't remember correctly.

"Bye bye, Daddy," he said as he gave the man a hug around the middle.

"Bye bye, Mommy," he whispered as he gave the woman a similar hug.

_Neville. Bubbles. Garden. Love. Perfect day._

Alice's hand reached into her pocket and she pulled out a stick of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone wonders why I chose to have the Longbottoms tortured nearly a year after Halloween 81, I based the timeline on the chapter in Goblet of Fire where Harry enters the Pensieve. 
> 
> Moody says he took 6 months to track down Karkaroff. 
> 
> Barty Crouch seems to be fine when questioning Ludo Bagman and it is mentioned that Bagman played in a game against Turkey the previous Saturday. I'm putting that as World Cup 82 playoffs... which would be July and August 82.
> 
> So, I'm assuming they did not get tortured until after these events.


End file.
